Documents taken from Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan show that al-Qaida was planning to blow up oil tankers in the hope of creating an ‘extreme economic crisis’ in the western world.

A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security in the US said there was no ‘specific or imminent threat’ of the terrorist organisation carrying out such a plot.

A still from a video of Osama Bin Laden, released after his death

But he added: ‘In 2010 there was continuing interest by members of al-Qaida in targeting oil tankers and commercial oil infrastructure at sea.’

According to US officials, the plot was in its infancy but involved al-Qaida leaders speculating that their best course of action would be to gain entry to the ships and blow them up while they were at sea.

If the group did succeed in such an action, it would be unlikely to dent the world’s supply of oil for very long, as each individual tanker carries around two million barrels of oil, equating to around 30 minutes of global supply.

Earlier this week, President Barack Obama visited CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to thank them for their role in helping to bring about the operation that led to the death of bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan.